


Troubled Waters

by Fjeril



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: AU, Fluff, M/M, Saigodon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-20
Updated: 2017-04-20
Packaged: 2018-10-21 07:10:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,480
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10680276
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fjeril/pseuds/Fjeril
Summary: Everyday, Souma has the same routine, and everyone is used to live with it. But this morning, Souma's routine is broken.





	Troubled Waters

**Author's Note:**

> HAPPY BIRTHDAY SOUMA!  
> Thanks @Eydol for your support♥

One of the things Souma liked more than his daily training was to get up on a sunny morning and enjoy the lukewarm water of the lake just next to the village. He always went early in the morning, when nobody was up yet, so he could enjoy it quietly, only listening to the songs of the birds, and let his horse wander freely next to the lake. The villagers knew about it, and they all respected his choice - only when someone had to leave the village early and for a long time would they accompany him to the lake and share his daily bath, but that was rare enough for him to gladly accept it.

That morning, though, wasn't one of those. Instead, he was walking to Saigodon's sides, releasing him from his harness as soon as they were close enough to the place. The horse lowered its head, as if he was thanking him, before trotting away, letting the young man walk to his favorite place. Eager to enjoy his bath under the rising sun, Souma walked a bit faster than usual, humming the melody he had learnt from his friend the day before, while Hasumi was working on his latest poem.

Hearing another voice singing a different melody, though, was a real surprise for the samurai. Stopping his steps, he looked all around him. On his right, the only thing he could see was the dark green of the forest trees, hiding most of it from the sun. On his left was the lake, its clear water shining under the morning light, a view Souma wanted to anchor in his mind. Knowing it by heart didn't prevent him from being surprised by its beauty, every morning. A smile on his lips, the samurai trainee kept going, until he noticed the singing voice was closer than a minute ago.

It took him a good minute or two before he noticed. In the corner of his eyes, half hidden by the rising sun, was a man whose voice Souma had never heard before, bathing in the lake, singing that song he didn't know. He was certainly dreaming, though: only the villagers knew about that place, right? The only road that lead to it went through the village - the other ones were way to dangerous to use, even Saigodon never used them. But that face was still completely unfamiliar.

Going a little further on, Souma noticed the man's face and upper body were covered with wounds. Eyebrows furrowed, he walked until he was close enough to detail the stranger. Blond hair, that was something that didn't exist around there. Where did he come from...? His eyes were of a color that reminded him of the amber Kiryu had once brought back to the village, and with which he had crafted Souma the necklace he never took off. While he was according himself a look at the man's chest, trying to determine what could have brought him in this place, the wounds on it became more and more evident. Actually, they were getting closer, too.

_Wait. What?!_

"Hello, beauty," the man's suave voice called, making him roll his eyes. "I didn't know yound ladies risqued coming to this place. It's not safe, you know?"

To prevent him from getting closer, Souma unsheathed the weapon that never left his sides - at that moment, he was glad he hadn't listened to his master, who insisted on his leaving his sword at home when he was going for a bath.

"I know how to defend myself," Souma answered, his sword pointing right towards the man's heart. "Who are you and what are you doing on this land?"

Refraining himself from laughing when he saw the man's paling face was hard, but he was trained well enough to know how to hide his emotions. The stranger stopped his steps: he had definitely understood he had mistaken the opponent.

"I'm just a wandering musician," the blond finally answered, the tone of his voice clear and honest enough for Souma to believe him. "I was climbing the mountain," he showed the abrupt cliff, at the north, that started a few meters away from the lake, "but I slipped."

Souma frowned a tad more. He didn't seem to be lying, considering how fresh his wounds looked, and the blood and dirt stains on his upper body. He wasn't completely satisfied with his answers yet, though, and didn't let his guard down.

"What is your name, and where are you from?"

The point of his sword was shining, as if it was confirming the samurai's will of cutting the stranger if he represented any danger. The musician seemed to understand it, because he gulped before elegantly bowing, and answering:

"I'm Hakaze Kaoru, free as the wind. I'm from the northern islands, but in no way am I associated with that place anymore. Should I sing for you, my lord?

\- Enough!"

For some reason, that stranger annoyed him. His attitude seemed way too careless, as if he didn't understand the situation he was in - or as if he didn't care. Souma, though, was perfectly aware of what he had to do.

"Sorry, I shouldn't done that," said Hakaze smiled. "Anyway, how long are you going to point that sword towards me? I'm naked. I'm a naked musician. The only weapon I've got is my voice, and my _shamisen_ , maybe - but I trust you could destroy it in a second with that sharp sword of yours."

An eye twitching, the samurai had to admit he could only agree with that statement. The stranger didn't seem to have any weapon, and even proved it by showing him his hands. The clear water proved him he wasn't hiding any at all (and that he was a very nice view, but Souma would keep that thought for himself), letting him relax even just a bit. Farther away, he could see his horse take all of the strangers possessions away, bringing a smile on his lips.

"Alright," he lowered his sword. "I'll let you live for now, but you'll have to meet our chief," Souma signaled, before sheathing his sword, making a step backwards.

Doing so, he felt something hit the back of his foot, making a neat, dry sound. Surprised, he turned away, only to see he had unwillingly made one of the lake's turtle fall on his back. A horrified expression on his face, Souma crouched, and helped the poor animal get back on its feet. A second later, he was granted a small bump of the turtle's head in the palm of his hand. Filled with relief and happiness, Souma apologized to the turtle.

The animal bumped his hand again, before slowly walking away, as if absolutely nothing had happened. Ignoring the comment the musician made (mostly because he couldn't decide if he really accepted being called «cute» by that man), Souma walked a little further away, taking his clothes off, before he entered the water, as usual.

While he was busy ignoring the blond's whistle, the young man decided to enjoy his morning bath the way he was used to, his hair gathered into a bun at the top of his head. He rinced his whole body, swam to the rock he sat on, every morning, and washed his face, before finally sitting and enjoying the nature around him. Closing his eyes, he paid attention to Saigodon's hooves' noise in the forest, to the delicious freshness of the morning breeze, to the sound of the water around him.

Yet, that morning, something prevented him from feeling completely relaxed. Bathing with someone else was something he was used to, even with the few travelers that stopped in their village. But for some reason, he could feel the other man's presence way too much, and he didn't feel right. There were waves in his heart and in his mind. Strong waves. Ones that brought all of your thoughts and feelings with it, and messed with it. Why those waves had appeared, though, was a complete mystery.

...Or was it? Because he really didn't need to look too far to understand that the only change in his habits was in the person of this Hakaze guy, who seemed to be playing with the turtles. They seemed to like him a lot, and Souma couldn't help but feel a little jealous. After all, he came to take care of them every day, and play with them, but never had he been _surrounded_ by so many of them.

The musician seemed to enjoy his experience, so, with a loud sigh, the swordsman let him be. A louder one that he had wanted, apparently, because the blond turned towards him, and, accompanied by the lake's turtles, swam towards him. The samurai in training bit his cheek, cursing himself for not bringing the stranger straight to his chief. Still, he tried to keep his expression as difficult to read as possible, no matter how hard it was, considering the waves in his mind and heart were becoming stronger and stronger as the man approached.

Until, _damn_ , the blond's wet skin shone under the sun, his body's curves perfectly accentuated by the natural light. For a moment, Souma had the feeling he was watching a painting - and that painting-like view gave birth to another wave in his body. He really hoped Hakaze'd eyes wouldn't wander too much.

"Yes?" he asked, his voice sounding a bit erratic because of the third wave.

Only silence answered him, and for a second, he wanted to make sure his weapon was close enough to his place, so he could shoo the stranger away.

"Ah... Mh, nothing," the man answered. "I mean," were there waves in his head too? "You seemed a little envious of my playing with the turtles, so I throught I'd bring them to you."

His mind got completely messed up by a stronger wave than all of the others combined. The samurai didn't even know what to answer, his eyes going from Hakaze's face (he was glad he managed focusing on his face) to the turtles around him, again and again, until one of the animals approached him a little further, to bonk its head against his arm. It took a few seconds for Souma to recognize the little one he had helped earlier. Suddenly, his face felt warm, and happiness invaded his whole body. Of _course_ he wanted to have fun with the turtles, too!

The animals stayed with them for quite a long time, and Souma was brought back to the real world by his horse's warm breath in the nape of his neck. Laughing, he turned towards the animal, caressing his nose.

"Understood, Saigodon," he told the animal. "We're going."

The swordsman could feel the musician's eyes following his every moves. He tried to act as natural as possible, but had very little experience with people watching him as if he were a rare treasure. Oh, his parents did, of course, but he hadn't met them in a few months, since they lived pretty far away. Hasumi and Kiryu did, too, in a way that was very similar to his parents', and he was glad for that, because he secretely considered them as a second pair of parents. But the way Hakaze looked at him was different. New. Enough to make the waves happen, and he still hadn't decided if he liked it or not. The only thing he was sure of, was that it brought flushes of blood to his face.

Souma finally left the water, dried his body, and put his clothes back on. He had to go to his training in less than an hour, and if he had to bring the stranger to the village chief first, he'd have to hurry. So, once his obi was hanging on his hip, he turned towards the stranger... Only to find him still in the water.

"What are you doing? You're going with me. I'm glad we had fun with the turtles, but you're still going to the chief," he alerted, only to get confusion as an answer.

"I know that," Hakaze told him. "But my clothes, and actually, my travel bag and my _shamisen_ have disappeared."

The swordsman blinked for a moment, before remembering what he had seen just before. He was glad his horse was well-trained, sometimes, yet he should have taught him to bring what he had taken back to where it was, when needed. Sighing, he threw his bathcloth towards the musician, telling him:

"I'll find them. Hurry up and get out of the water."

Turning towards his horse, Souma asked:

"Where have you put his clothes? I'll check everything before giving it back."

A second later, he was following his dearest friend to the bushes at the forest entrance.

* * *

"Sir Sakuma, please forgive me for my sudden intrusion," Souma apologized, bowing so low his forehead touched the ground.

"No need to apologize so formally, Kanzaki," the man answered him, his red eyes squinted in an amused expression. "What brings you here?"

Turning on his knees, the samurai signaled Hakaze to come in. The musician showed a respect Souma wouldn't have imagined from him, bowing in his turn in front of the village chief.

"I met this man at the lake, sir Sakuma. He says he didn't go through the village, so I thought I should inform you of his presence on our grounds."

He bowed again, earning a nod from his lord, before Sakuma examined the newcomer. He seemed to have noticed the instrument showing from his bag, and tilted his head.

"What is your name, again?" he asked as if it wasn't much of a commodity, and the samurai trainee had to take a lot on himself not to shout at his chief's indolence.

He didn't dislike the man, but Sakuma lacks manners on such a level Souma had felt like committing seppuku to atone for his lord's sins - only to be refrained by his sword master.

"I'm Hakaze Kaoru, sir. Wandering musician. If I may, I believe I have reached my current destination."

Suddenly, it was as if the red eyes suddenly lightened, and a weird smile appeared on the atypical lord.

"Oh! You must be the musician Keito asked for!

\- Yes, sir. I've been paid a generous amout to play at a huge party, tonight," Hakaze answered.

_A huge party?_ Why didn't he know about it? Somehow, Souma felt irritated, and his lord had probably seen it, because he suddenly looked uncomfortable. Understanding it wasn't right for him to feel that way, the purple haired samurai did his best to keep an impassible look on his face. He'd ask Hasumi for explanations after his sword training. He could have forgotten to tell him - it happened, sometimes, when the man was too busy with his work. Kiryu had once told him Hasumi had forgotten to even eat and sleep for two days straight because he was too busy with his work.

"I see," Sakuma told him. "Kanzaki, your house is next to the inn, right? You should bring him there and let Keito know his guest has arrived."

Accepting his mission, Souma bowed again, not listening to that badly educated lord who told him not to bow so low. How could he even reject respect demonstrations!

"You can go, both of you."

Executing orders, Souma brought the musician, not addressing him a word before they had left the lord's house's surroundings. He was trying to use the method his sword master had given him for when his emotions were taking over him, and had negativity leave his body. At any other time, it would have worked - it always worked, even though he knew he needed more training - but that day, his mind was such a mess that he wasn't even able to put a word on how he was feeling.

"Hey, are you okay?"

The musician's soft voice sounded a tad worried, and the samurai in training blinked before even thinking about his answer.

"I, uh..." Wait, why was he even feeling unwell in the first place? _Ah, right... The party._ "I didn't know someone was holding a party tonight," he admitted, erasing sadness from his own face. "I guess I'm not wanted tonight."

Looking away, he didn't move when a hand landed on his shoulder. Would it have been Kiryu, he would have shaken it away to confront his opponent, but Hasumi had told him a hundred times that he had to be careful with strangers; they weren't used to his attitude, and it could frightened them.

"I'm sure you are," Hakaze replied, a gentle smile on his lips (it made him look like one of those stars in the night sky, and made the wave stronger in his heart and mind), "They probably just forgot, or something. Don't worry, I'm sure we'll meet tonight."

Looking away, the samurai replied:

"It's not like I was expecting to meet you again."

_Liar_ , his mind told him, but he shooed the thought away when he saw the inn's entrance.

"Anyway, here you are," he indicated. "You'll just have to ask for lord Hasumi and tell him who you are, I guess," he explained, bowing very low. "Until we meet again."

Saigodon, to his sides, lowered his head too, and they watched the musician enter the small inn. As soon as the doors were closed, Souma led his horse to the house he owned, freeing him once again from his harness, leaving him free. As soon as it was done, Souma hurried to the dojo, or he would be late.

* * *

The night had already fallen on the small mountain village when an unusual sound came to the samurai in training's ears. Except for himself, only Sengoku took a sword traning when he was in the village - which was not the case, lately, since he had left on a mission with his master the day before. Thus, theorically, the only people to enter the dojo would have been himself, and Kiryu, his sword master. The man was rather strict on his trainings, and, just the same way as Souma, would never have left the dojo before they had both agreed on it. Yet, that day, something changed.

"Did you hear that noise?" the red-haired man asked.

"I did."

His sword master frowned. He was clearly worried about that noise, and trying to identify it.

"Keep working on your _kata_ ," he told Souma. "I'll go and check what it is."

The young man nodded, focusing on his moves' precision. They weren't perfect yet, and he wanted them to be, especially that day. Especially as troubled as he had been since the morning. He had spent the whole day evacuating all kind of feelings through his moves. Anger, frustration, confusion, and all those disorganized thoughts. Usually, sword training was a good way to reaffirm his way of thinking and reorganize his thoughts. That day, though, it wasn't working. And it was even more frustrating. The only good point was that he had way much more energy for his training.

"Kanzaki," Kiryu called, making him stop his training. "It will be enough for today. Go change."

Mouth half-open so he could retrieve his breath, but also under the surprise, Souma blinked a few times. That was _not_ how his trainings were supposed to end.

"What about our post-training discussion?" he asked.

Especially when, that day, he had so much he wanted to talk about!

"Let's have it tomorrow morning. For now, we have to go."

His tone was nice and calm, and that was unusual. As if he was happier than he was supposed to be. Souma frowned for a second, before he understood: his master was probably going to that secret party, too. Which meant the two people he held the closest had kept it a secret from him. Yet, Kiryu should have known, right? How he would feel betrayed on the next morning, had he not known about it at all. He lived next to the inn, and could hear it when people had parties. Most of the time, the whole village was invited, himself included.

_I guess I'm not supposed to be concerned._

Preventing himself from sighing, Souma changed into his everyday clothes, before joining his master at the entrance of the dojo. He thanked him once again for his daily training, ready to go home and sink in his futon, but noticed Hasumi's presence. Surprised, he saluted his friend, who granted him a fond smile, before giving him a piece of clothing that seem of a high quality. A bit startled, he looked at the innkeeper, frowning. What did it mean?

"Kanzaki, I'm sorry for making you change once more," the man apologized, "but could you please wear this instead?

\- May I have the impudence to ask why?"

His words had sounded more aggressive than he had wanted them to be. Before Hasumi's surprised expression, Souma put a hand on his mouth, before bowing as low as he could.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be impolite," he apologized, before going back to the dojo room and change into his new clothes under his friends' protective looks.

He felt kind of bad for the way he had talked to Hasumi, and couldn't help noticing the worried look on Hasumi's face when the man turned towards Kiryu. From where he was, he couldn't hear their discussion. It was quite frustrating, but he had to do with it anyway. So, he hurriedly ended to change, joining the other two at the entrance, ready to leave. He hadn't really taken care about what he was wearing, but what was the point anyway? He just wanted to go home and rest.

"Kanzaki, please wait a second," Kiryu told him.

This time, he couldn't prevent his sigh. Yet, he couldn't say no to his sword master, especialy when the man was taking care of his hair. He felt the strong hair slide through his strands, comb them, put things in them. Would there have been a reason for it, he would have thought his surrogate parents were preparing him for a ceremony. At least, it helped him relax a little, so he patiently waited until Kiryu had finished working with his hair.

The young samurai wanted to touch it, but his friend forbid him from doing so, giving a slight tap on the back of his hand, as if he had been a cat about to do something wrong. Annoyed, Souma joined both of his hands, noticing at the last moments that both his friends were also wearing festive clothes. _What is happening here?_

On their way, he didn't listen to his friends' talk. He just wanted for that day to be over, for the musician to be far away, for the sun to rise so he could go to the lake. As soon as he was in front of his house, Souma bowed in front of both his friends, ready to tell them they would meet the next day. He didn't really understand the jaded look they exchanged, nor why they grabbed him each by an arm. He was about ten centimeters above the ground, and stayed that way until they brought him to the inn's entrance.

There, the tips of his toes were finally able to touch the ground. Still, he hadn't gotten any answer. So, he turned towards his friends, ready to ask.

"No questions, Kanzaki," the innkeeper told him.

"You go inside first," Kiryu added. "You'll ask questions _later_."

He was about to protest, but Hasumi opened the door. So, he took a deep breath, and stepped in, until he realized: the whole village was there, reunited, a large fabric banner saying «Happy Birthday, Kanzaki Souma!» hanging just behind a few empty seats. Once again, he turned towards his friends, then the villagers, and, finally, towards the one he hadn't realized was there.

"Happy birthday, Kanzaki Souma," the blond man told him, before he started playing.

* * *

 

At the hour the sun was rising, most people were so drunk they didn't even remember where they were, as long as they has enough to drink. The innkeeper himself was sleeping on Kiryu's knees, and he had heard someone ask where the music was, just before he had stepped out of the inn, to enjoy the calm of the morning, and the freshness of the air. «The music» actually was by his sides - and had been for most of the night, as soon as people had forgotten about the music - and probably enjoyed the sudden silence as much as he did.

They had stayed away from the loudest ones, talking together for most of the nights. Hakaze had told him how he had fled his family and their business, and how he went from village to village, renting rooms in random inns and mostly paying by helping them if he hadn't managed collecting enough money to pay for the whole night. He had explained how coming here was an opportunity, because Hasumi had been pretty generous, precising in his letter that he absolutely needed a musician for Souma's birthday, and had heard of him through his clients' stories.

One or two glasses of sake had been enough for the musician to admit he had honestly thought the samurai was a woman at first glance, and one more to tell him realizing he was a man hadn't changed a thing for him, and the muscles he had gained through his daily training hadn't repulsed the musician even a little bit. At some point, Souma had even managed admitting he wasn't indifferent to the blond's charms either; and now, their head spinning, ears full of the voices of the people around them, they had decided they needed fresh air.

The rising sun had given an idea to Souma, so, without a word at first (because he had forgotten words), he dragged the blond through the forest. Soon enough, though, he didn't have enough strength to hold him anymore, and just walked by his sides, doing his best to make sure none of them would trip and fall. It took them longer than it should have, but in the end, they reached the lake where they had met, just a day before - this time, though, Souma immediately got rid of his clothes, entering the water. A few seconds later, Hakaze joined him, placing his arms around the samurai's hips.

And for the very first time, their lips met. It was clumsy and tasted of alcohol, so they tried a second time, and a third, and the fourth kiss was way less clumsy. Alcohol was still there, but now, it tasted more like a bonus to the kiss.

"I guess it's my turn to give you my present," Hakaze told him, before capturing his lips for the fifth time.

**Author's Note:**

> I feared I wouldn't finish it on time, but I guess my will can be stronger than I thought.  
> Also 3/4 of this fic is basically Souma going "??????"  
> Anyway, thank you for reading!


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